Improvement in magazine-guns



Patented Jan. 14, 1862.

I v N UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREEMAN BRADY, JR, AND JOHN G. NOBLE, OF VVASHINGTON, PA.

IMPROVEMENT IN MAGAZINE-GUNS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 34, 126, dated January 14, 1862.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FREEMAN BRADY, Jr., and JOHN G. NOBLE, both of Washington, in the county of Washington and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Breech-Loadin g Fire- Arms; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is an elevation of the right side of a portion of a rifle with our improvement, the hammer being up and the face-plate covering the lock being removed. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section at x m, Fig. 3, looking in the opposite direction, with the hammer down. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section at y y.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

Our invention consists in certain means for securing the magazine in position and permitting its ready insertion and removal.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A represents the stock, and B the barrel. The former has a cavity, a, on its left side, to receive a magazine, 0, the construction of which will be hereinafter more fully described.

D is arotary chambered breech, journaled upon a horizontal pin in customary manner. The breech is in the present illustration provided with four chambers. F is a segmental plate, fixed to the stock immediately in the rear of the breech D, and concentrically therewith. The said plate is pierced at f to receive the front end of the magazine, and in a position to correspond with a chamber in the breech D next preceding that which is in line with the barrel. The rear end of the magazine is retained in position by a catch, G, and thrown out by a spring, H, when the said catch is retracted for thepurpose of retracting the magazine. I is a hinged cover to the magazinechamber, held in aclosed position by a catch, 1', and thrown open by a spring, i", when the said catch is retracted.

The construction of the lock is very simple. The hammer J is pivoted at j in customary manner. The spring K acts both upon the .to press it forward.

hammer and upon the trigger L. The rotati on of the breech D from one chamber to thenext is effected at each elevation of the hammer by means of a plate, M, pivoted at m, and formed with a horn, m, which projects through the plate F and takes into suitable ratchet-teeth or notches in the rear face of the breech. The hammer J acts upon the plate M by means of a pin, j, upon the rear face of the former, taking into a slot in the latter, as shown in Fig. 2. m is a spring,which presses the plate M forward and secures it in position. N is acatch, which takes successively into apertures in the periphery of the chambered breech, to retain the latter in correct position for firing. The

said catch is constructed in the form of a knee, fulcrumed at a, and provided with a spring,

n, which presses its upper arm against the heel of the hammer. O is a rammer, employed to expel the cartridge-case after each discharge, as hereinafter explained, and encircled by a spring, 0, to retract it when released.

The construction of the magazine is as follows: 19 represents a follower, formed with guides projecting through longitudinal slots in the shell of the magazine. g is a spiral spring in the rear of the follower 17, operating 1" is a hinged lid, with which the front of the magazine may be closed at will. The said lid may have a pin projecting to the exterior of the stock, for the purpose of opening or closing the magazine without removing it or opening its chamber.

The following is the manner of using the gun: To fill the magazine, the follower p is drawn back and one of its guides caught in a notch, 19, and eartrid ges dropped in from above until the magazine is full. The lid 0" is then closed and the follower released. The magazine is placed in position by inserting the for ward end within the cavity f and pressing in the rear end until held by the catch G. The cover I of the magazine-chamber may then be closed, and the gun can be carried without danger of accidental discharge. This position of the parts -is shown in Fig. 2. When it is desired to fire the piece the lid r is drawn out without raising the cover of the chamber a, and the action of the spring q forces a cartridge into one of the breech-chambers. The

cocking of the gun rotates the breech by means of the horn W, as before explained, and at the same time permits the spring n to press the catch N upward, so that it enters one of the holes in the periphery of the breech, thus securing it in such position as to present the charged chamber to the action of the hammer. By pulling the trigger the hammer is released, and descends and explodes the cartridge in the customary manner by a projection upon its face striking the flange of the cartridge.

The same action retracts the catch N, so that the chamber may be rotated by the next elevation of the hammer. This brings a second charged chamberinto position to be discharged and presents the first to the rammer O. The latter being drawn back at theinstant of pullin g the trigger, or previously, or afterward, as may be preferred, expels the empty shell from the first chamber. A succession of shots may thus be fired as rapidly as the gun can be cooked and the trigger pulled until the magazine is depleted.

By slightly elongating the rammer in the direction of the chambered breech andforming the rod by which it is drawn back with a shoulder in the rear of the trigger, the action of pulling the trigger may be made to lock the rotary chamber at the instant of firing.

A number of magazines, each containing ten cartridges, may be carried upon the person, and it is the work of but a few seconds to remove one which has been exhausted and supply its place with a full one.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination of the aperture f, catch G, and spring H, employed, as set forth, to secure the magazine and permit its ready insertion and removal laterally of the stock.

The above specification of our improvement in brecch-loadin g fire-arms signed this 14th day of October, 1861.

FREEMAN BRADY, JR. JOHN G. NOBLE. Witnesses as to Freeman Bradys signature OOTAVIUS KNIGHT, L. W. BENDRE. Witnesses as to John 0. Nobles signature J. L. JUDsoN,

ROBERT CHARLTON. 

